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9 Pinoys off to London this April for Global Xchange Programme

April 24, 2010

       Nine Filipino youths are ready for change. The roster of individuals participating in the next Global Xchange Programme has already been determined. Mark Aethen Agana, South Cotabato; Dionell Chris Batoon, Rizal; Margarita Victoria Caballa, Metro Manila; Joseph Eduard LarañO III, Iloilo; Desiree May Llanos Dee, Metro Manila; April Karnette Maniacup, Pampanga; Karl Benson Molina, Rizal; Christina Lucia Marian Palami, Leyte; and Anthony Ross Zuniga, Rizal—have been chosen from all over the country to represent the Philippines as Team 107 in the next UK/Philippines exchange.

Global Xchange, which is an initiative set up by Volunteer Service Overseas (VSO) in partnership with the British Council and VSO Bahaginan, is a volunteer exchange program which gives young people from the Philippines and UK a chance to work together to develop and share valuable skills to make a practical contribution where it is needed in local communities.

Set to work as a team for three months in London, United Kingdom and another three months in Cebu, Philippines, these youths will live with local families and work with local community organizations to address the pressing issues on disability, secure livelihood, and environment.

Tessie Bugarin, Team 107’s Project Supervisor, will help them adapt to their new environment and learn as much as possible from their experiences.

“I had a hard time choosing the candidates for this batch. Everyone was excellent in his/her field of work. I am confident they will do well in the exchange,” said Bugarin.

Meanwhile, the team is preparing for the soft launch of their campaign The Butterfly Effect Project which aims to mobilize the youth to promote and support volunteering through Global Xchange. This project seeks to advance the knowledge and awareness of the youth, by encouraging them to participate in meaningful activities to serve as a generative force in human resource development committed to the values of volunteerism, social transformation, equity and diversity.

“I am thrilled and excited about the team’s bright ideas. Their energy and vigor make me feel younger. Truly, the youth is an asset to our organization,” Happy Ballesteros-Raagas. Resource Generation of VSO Bahaginan Foundation, Inc., said.

There is barely a week before they take flight to Hounslow, London—their first community. All is excited but at the same time anxious due to the recent volcanic ash cloud from Iceland that moved to UK’s airspace and disrupted its air travel.

But despite all these, the volunteers are still hopeful that everything will be well. The whole country will be with them on their journey.

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The Butterfly Effect Project

 

We often hear how the flap of a butterfly’s wings can influence weather patterns around the world. Striking an allusion between this natural tendency and a metaphor, the butterfly effect is tantamount to the analysis that small changes, if properly situated, can bring about wide-ranging effects.

In a world stricken by poverty and divided by chaos, individual butterflies needs to step up to create an impact. Each butterfly, assigned to a specific task, should work in synergy with other butterflies to elicit an effect.

An analogy of this process could be paired to individual youths aspiring to make a difference in their respective communities. Each youth, tasked for a specific purpose, should integrate oneself to a larger group working for a common goal.

This month of May, 18 young people from the UK and the Philippines will endeavor in this process of social transformation. Under the Global Xchange Programme, the 18 youths will be forming the Team 107 of the Global Xchange Programme (GXP) that is jointly implemented in the Philippines by VSO Bahaginan and the British Council. They will be placed in communities, first in the UK and then in the Philippines, to do volunteer work in the areas of disability, secure livelihood, and environment.

Carrying the brand The Butterfly Effect Project, the team will work for six months to make significant contributions to both UK and the Philippines. As they emanate the value of volunteerism, these individuals will influence change to their counterpart pairs, to their host homes, and to the communities that they will be in. These changes, when put together, would bring about large-scale and lasting effects.

Like butterflies that emerged from the cycle of metamorphosis, nine youths with different backgrounds and upbringing will represent the Philippines. Ready for their counterparts from the UK, each will try to flap one’s wings to make significant contributions to the world.

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